Salisbury Beach Betterment Association

Thanks to everyone who helped with today’s summer beach cleanup! Join us & Salisbury Beach Betterment Association for our last one of the season on Saturday, August 17th. 🌊🪣 ♻️ 🐳

Thank you to all the SBBA members and public officials that attended our annual meeting on Monday. It is truly wonderful to be among fellow Salisbury Beach afficionados and people supporting our community.

State Senator Bruce Tarr provided us with an upbeat assessment of the progress on the dune renourishment project. This was followed by State Representative Dawne Shand, Salisbury Town Manager Neil Harrington, and Selectmen Chair Mike Colburn pledging their ongoing support of the project and their partnership with the SBBA. Salisbury Police Chief Tom Fowler addressed the recent traffic issues and believes that the problems have been resolved.

The SBBA also awarded 12 scholarships to recent high school graduates who are embarking on their next chapter. We wish them well!

Salisbury Beach Betterment Association 2024 Annual Meeting Salisbury Beach Betterment Association 2024 Annual Meeting

https://newburyportnews-cnhi.newsmemory.com/?publink=4c097e804_134d36b

SBBA HANDS OUT SCHOLARSHIPS The Salisbury Beach Betterment Association recently awarded scholarshi

Please join us Monday evening for the annual membership meeting!

Salisbury Beach Betterment Association Annual Meeting
Monday, July 8th, 2024 - Doors open at 6:15, meeting starts at 7:00
Blue Ocean Music Hall – Salisbury Beach

Community Updates
State Senator Bruce Tarr
State Representative Dawne Shand
Town Manager Neil Harrington
Board of Selectmen Chairman Mike Colburn
Police Chief Tom Fowler

SBBA Scholarship awards
50/50 Cash Raffle
SBBA Beautification Committee gift basket raffle

We are looking forward to seeing you!
The Salisbury Beach Betterment Association Board of Directors

Celebrate life and make a difference by giving blood. Join the SBBA on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 at the Blue Ocean Music Hall from 2pm to 7pm.

We can see the weekend from HERE! 🙌 Beautiful sunny weather Saturday & Sunday with mid-day low tides. 🏖️ Perfect for our Beach Cleanup Saturday 9-11 with Salisbury Beach Betterment Association. 🪣 We have Beach Yoga with Sarah Oleson Yoga at 8AM both days. 🧘 Then Sunday is Father’s Day, where dads eat free at GroundSwell & can ride free on the Salisbury Beach Carousel! 🎠 Come early for GroundSwell deck seating at SurfSide 7-11AM! 🌊🥯

Join the SBBA and on Saturday, June 15 for our beach cleanup from 9am-11am. Meet us next to Groundswell, 25 Broadway, Beach Center. Gloves and trash bags will be provided. Help keep our beach clean.

The Beautification Committee has been busy this weekend. Our hard working ladies were out planting flowers today at the Beach Center. Thank you for your hard work to keep Salisbury Beach beautiful.

Thanks to the Salisbury Beach Beautification Committee for their hard work in making this beautiful American flag. If you wish to see this beautiful flag, come by the welcome center. Happy Memorial Day from the SBBA.

We received some great news for Salisbury Beach. Governor Healey's Administration, through DCR, announced that they will supply funding for Phase I of Salisbury's Dune Restoration Project.

Thank you to Senator Bruce Tarr, Salisbury Town Manager Neil Harrington, environmental consultant Tom Hughes, and our other Town officials. Their efforts, along with those of the SBBA, the SBCFC, and the efforts of our SBBA members, all helped to make this possible.

Here is an excerpt from the Newburyport Daily News:

SALISBURY — After months of meetings and discussions on the state, local and federal level, Gov. Maura Healey’s administration announced Tuesday it will be committing well over $1 million to help combat ongoing erosion at Salisbury Beach.

“The Healey-Driscoll Administration is investing $1.75 million in an interim dune nourishment project at Salisbury Beach that will also help to protect a section of Route 1A and nearby infrastructure against flooding,” Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Brian Arrigo said in a statement to the Daily News.

The interim, one-time sand dune nourishment project includes placing roughly 30,000 tons of sand along the dune between access points 5-11 and re-establishing a continuous dune. But state officials are warning stakeholders that the project is not a long-term solution.

As part of the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s ongoing efforts to kick-start a regional approach to coastal resilience, DCR and the Office of Coastal Zone Management will work with the Salisbury community to develop a holistic strategy for addressing the impacts of climate change at Salisbury Beach, according to Arrigo.

“DCR’s currently working to ensure that the public can safely access the beach and is providing at-grade beach access points in time for the busy beach season,” Arrigo said.

Due to heavy recreational use of the beach in summer months and permitting requirements, beach nourishment is expected to begin in early to mid-September, prior to the onset of late fall and winter storms that typically cause the most severe beach erosion. The project is estimated to take two to three weeks.

According the Salisbury State Beach Reservation Supervisor Mike Magnifico, DCR will begin repairs on Public Access 9 and 10 during the week starting Monday, May 20, 2024.

Beach Cleanup this Saturday with Salisbury Beach Betterment Association, weather permitting! 🤞Let’s get this beach cleaned up before summer officially starts! 🏖️

May 14, 2024

An Open Letter to Governor Healey, State Legislature, DCR, and The Town of Salisbury

The Salisbury Beach community is facing a historic threat from beach erosion. We are in danger of losing critical public infrastructure, public beach access, private homes, possibly even the beach itself, and potentially sustaining irreparable damage to the Great Salt Marsh. These potential disasters are preventable, and we must extend every effort to avoid them. The Town of Salisbury has committed up to $200,000 and to date has invested in excess of $50,000 to gather data about the extent of the problem and to develop a plan to mitigate further damage. The Town's comprehensive dune restoration plan is ready to be implemented but is stalled by a lack of funding. To prevent further damage, it is imperative that our public officials make these funds available immediately.

We were not caught unawares by this recent series of storms. For the past 20 years, the Salisbury Beach Betterment Association (SBBA) has been working with the Town and DCR to put in place a plan to maintain the protective dune barrier. We helped develop the first Salisbury Beach management plan and we have been lobbying for an updated plan for several years. In 2008, the SBBA was at the table working with former Senator Steve Baddour and former Representative Mike Costello to establish the Salisbury Beach Preservation Trust Fund. The intent of this fund was to insure the availability of funds for beach maintenance and emergency response to erosion events. Five years ago, we established the Salisbury Beach resiliency task force, which has since become the Merrimack River Beach Alliance (MRBA) Salisbury Beach Subcommittee. I’m not referencing these activities to toot our own horn but rather to demonstrate that we, as a community, have undertaken all the normative approaches to beach and dune maintenance that environmentalists and scientists recommend. Well, it wasn’t enough. Despite our best efforts, we are now faced with a situation that calls for emergency funding from the state and federal government.

Although the Commonwealth of Massachusetts owns Salisbury Beach, and has a responsibility to maintain the viability of the beach, private property owners acted quickly to pay for emergency repairs to the protective dunes after the winter storms. These property owners, who reached into their own pockets, should be applauded for doing their part to address the emergency. Their swift action, aided by the Town and DCR’s streamlining of the permitting, prevented a worse disaster.

We understand that it often takes the government a long time to commit large amounts of money to projects. However, in this case, the potential cost of further delays could be astronomical. The Town of Salisbury could lose millions of dollars of property tax revenue and the Commonwealth could be faced with significant costs to repair damage to Route 1A and other state-owned infrastructure. This doesn’t include the intangible cost to our community of losing the beach’s recreational utility, damage to the ecologically sensitive salt marsh, and potential loss of revenue from the Salisbury Beach State Reservation.

We have been meeting with public officials for over five years to develop plans for making sure we didn't find ourselves in this situation. We are thankful for their tireless work and cooperation as we collected data and explored various options. However, the clock has run out and we are now in an emergency.

If the lost dunes are not rebuilt now, we run the risk of catastrophic damage to public and private property and the environment. Losing recreational access to one of the Commonwealth’s greatest natural resources, which serves the entire Merrimack valley and beyond, is unthinkable.

We are fortunate to have an extremely dedicated state senator, Bruce Tarr, to represent us at the state house. Senator Tarr has been deeply engaged with our community for the past several years helping to develop a resiliency plan and identify funding to implement the plans. Under the leadership of Commissioner Brian Arrigo, DCR has joined the conversation and become an active participant in this collaboration. Last week, Senator Tarr, Salisbury Town Manager Neil Harrington and Environmental consultant Tom Hughes presented an update to the community. The video and slides from their press conference are posted on our website at https://www.sbba.us/dune It is a comprehensive review of the current situation and provides a perspective from which to view our options and the action necessary to save our beach. The analysis is driven by data and is a scientific analysis and factual representation of the challenges. I think they did an outstanding job presenting the context of the problem, and the data to support their conclusions and recommendations. The SBBA encourages all concerned citizens to review the presentation.

The key points in the presentation are:

• Beach nourishment has been taking place on Salisbury Beach since the 1950s. It is widely used throughout The Commonwealth and is a proven tool to keep the beach healthy.

• Salisbury Beach is important to the economy, protects Route 1A (which is a vital Seabrook Nuclear Plant evacuation route), protects the environmentally important salt marsh and generates over 40% of Salisbury’s property tax revenue.

• The private sand placement paid for by property owners in March performed a critical role in preventing further damage. The sand performed as a sacrificial dune which was the goal. The sand is still in the system but has moved.

• This winter’s loss of sand represents a new and alarming threat. The increased possibility of a devastating breach could make the cost of remediation significantly greater.

• The recent LiDAR survey data shows a “massive” loss of dune.

• Since 2000, the Salisbury barrier island has lost 40% of its sand volume.

• The jetties may be a factor in the movement of sand and the Town is requesting a Federal Section 111 study to analyze their impact.

• There is a 1,200 foot section of the beach that has eroded to an elevation of 13’, which makes it vulnerable to frequent over wash. Over wash accelerates removal of sand from the dune and can undermine foundations.

• Salisbury Town Manager Neil Harrington emphasized the regional social and economic importance of Salisbury Beach and recognized the importance of Salisbury’s partnership with the state. He urged immediate state funding of Phase I of the Town’s dune restoration plan.

• Senator Tarr pointed out that timing is critical due to the need to do the work before shorebirds need protection.

• Senator Tarr highlighted the critical partnership with the MRBA, DCR, state agencies and the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Please review the slides on our website at https://www.sbba.us/dune , which provide a more detailed narrative and illustration of these bullet points, and then consider contacting the governor, DCR and your state and federal legislators to ask them for immediate funding of the dune restoration project. The Salisbury Beach Preservation Trust Fund was established specifically for this purpose. Please remind them of that fact.

The time for action is now. The economic cost of inaction will be substantial and potentially devastating to the Town of Salisbury. The dunes are our only defense. We are pleading with the state to recognize the dire consequences of inaction and to immediately authorize funding for Salisbury’s dune restoration project.

Don Egan
Acting President
Salisbury Beach Betterment Association

Dune | SBBA

We would like to share with you that Tom Saab, and his organization, Salisbury Beach Citizens for Change (SBCFC) are sponsoring a public meeting to discuss the status of the dune restoration project. Tom Hughes, the Town’s environmental consultant, will present his findings on the current state of the beach and review the Town’s proposed plan for rebuilding the dunes.

The meeting will take place at 6:30pm on Tuesday evening, May 14 at The Blue Ocean Music Hall 4 Oceanfront North in Salisbury

Funding for the project has yet to be secured. The Town, along with State Senator Bruce Tarr, are actively working towards securing the required funds. The SBBA continues to work with all the parties involved in solving this problem. We will share with you the update from last week’s MRBA press conference as soon as it’s available.

This is an urgent matter facing the Town and property owners. According to Tom Hughes, there is significant risk to Route 1A, the marsh, public beach access and homes. It is vitally important that Salisbury receives the funding and support necessary to address this emergency.

According to Tom Saab’s recent email to SBCFC members, they plan to discuss options on how to move forward with various avenues for rebuilding the dunes. They have invited Former US Senator Scott Brown and Wayne Capolupo to share their thoughts with the group. The SBCFC also plans to share their research into various legal options.

Please contact the SBCFC at [email protected] if you have any questions regarding this meeting.

Good night from Salisbury Beach.

The SBBA is proud to announce their next act for the annual Scholarship Fundraiser on September 6, 2024. The Backtrack Band are a Boston/North Shore based Oldies Band that plays 50's 60's and 70's.
They have been playing professionally for many years in venues large and small. They always get the crowd dancing and singing.
They love to play the hits of the Golden Era of Early Rock & Roll, Motown, 50's 60's and 70’s as well as the super girl groups of the 60's like the Shirelles, the Ronnettes etc, music by the Beatles, bands from the British Invasion, Elvis, the Everly Bros, Leslie Gore, Dusty Springfield, etc. and popular 70s disco hits.
“With the Backtrack Band there’s something for everyone!” Doors open at 7pm, show starts at 8pm.

The Backtrack Band | SBBA The Backtrack Band are a Boston/North Shore based Oldies Band that plays 50's 60's and 70's. Doors open at 7pm, show starts at 8pm

Support the naming of the Salisbury Beach Carousel Function Room to honor Bill Greilich our former SBBA president. 200 raffle tickets will be sold for $100 each. Two prize winners will each receive 50-$50 Massachusetts Lottery tickets. The drawing will be held on July 15th at the SBBA annual meeting. Details in the flyer below on how to enter and make your donation.

Senator Bruce Tarr will be on WBZ Radio 1030 tonight from 9PM till 10 PM talking about the recent damage to Salisbury Beach and taking questions.

Understanding the Threat of Rising Seas Sea levels are rising, but they are rising at different rates in different places, with differing impacts for coastal communities and ecosystems. To predict and adapt to future sea levels, we need to understand where and why they are rising now and have risen in the past. Join us for a conversation....

Thanks to everyone who came out today for our annual Earth Day beach cleanup. Special thanks to AAA Northeast and GroundSwell Surf Cafe for sponsoring this great event with the SBBA. Also, a very special thanks to the Salisbury, MA Lions Club and the Lions cubs for their hard work today. Please join us for our next beach cleanup on May 18, from 9am to 11am.

Scholarship Reminder and Deadline: The Salisbury Beach Betterment Association is pleased to once again announce the availability of scholarships to the children and grandchildren of SBBA members. Applications must be postmarked no later than May 1, 2024. Applications may be completed on-line on our website @ www.sbba.us for specific details and requirements. If you have questions, please contact Donna Champagne at [email protected]

Home | SBBA The Salisbury Beach Betterment Association strives to enhance and protect the quality of life in Salisbury Beach. We are a non-profit membership organization comprised of property owners, residents, visitors, businesses, and everyone else who loves Salisbury Beach. We work together to advocate for m...

Due to the impending rain scheduled for tomorrow morning, the SBBA has rescheduled our Earth Day cleanup to Sunday, April 21st from 9am-11am. We will be meeting at the same location.

DATE CHANGE: The state DOT now has signs posted on the Boulevard reading that Beach Sweeping will begin on Monday, April 22, 2024.....

Dear SBBA Members,


First, I have some very sad news to share with you. SBBA President Bill Greilich passed away on Wednesday. Bill was an effective and tireless advocate for the interests of our members. I will sorely miss Bill’s leadership on the SBBA Board of Directors, his friendship, and my collaboration with him on the many initiatives we undertook together over the past four years. On behalf of myself and the rest of the board, we express our most heartfelt sympathy to Bill’s wife Monique and to their entire family.


One of Bill’s most passionate pursuits over the past few years was establishing the Salisbury Beach Resiliency Task Force (which is now known as the Merrimack River Beach Alliance Salisbury Beach Subcommittee) to prepare our community for the very threats from erosion that we are now facing. With that said, I know that Bill would want us to continue doing what we can to help our members during this current challenge.


Local and State officials are continuing their efforts to assist property owners that need help rebuilding eroded dunes in front of their property. Specifically, the process to obtain emergency permission for placing sand in the dune area in front of your house has been greatly streamlined. Anyone with an immediate need to protect their property should contact the Salisbury Conservation Agent, Adriane Marchand at [email protected] or 978-499-0358 for assistance.


There have been a lot of people working on plans to help our community and we thank them for their efforts. They include Sen. Tarr, Rep. Shand, Salisbury Board of Selectmen, Town Manager Neil Harrington, Adriane Marchand, and DCR officials. Last week, the SBBA sent a letter to the Town Manager and to local and state officials emphasizing the urgency of addressing this emergency (SBBA Letter). On Monday, The Board of Selectmen sent a letter to Governor Healy seeking funds for the rebuilding of the dunes (BOS letter to Governor). We encourage you to call the Governor’s office at 888-870-7770 to urge her to support the Selectmen’s request and to help Salisbury address the erosion problem immediately.


Currently, the only option for immediate sand placement is for property owners to pay for it themselves. Plans for a larger scale, state and town funded project continue to move forward. Details on these efforts can be found in updates posted to the Town’s website at Storm Response Update.


The Town hosted an Emergency Sand Placement Assistance Session at Town Hall on Thursday. The session was intended to work with individual property owners to complete the necessary applications. A video of the general information portion of the session is available at: https://trms.sctvmc.org/CablecastPublicSite/show/9626?site=1. Individual assistance is still available through the Town’s Conservation Agent, Adriane Marchand.


Here are some of the pertinent items discussed:


Adriane Marchand will help all affected property owners complete the emergency certificate application for submission to the conservation commission.

2. Adriane said that there is no specific deadline for property owners to submit their request but suggested that, if possible, they should not wait because resources to help are available now.

3. Wetland Engineer Tom Hughes has been hired by the Town to complete the applications for approval by the Massachusetts Wildlife National Heritage endangered species agency. He is submitting them in batches with the hope of obtaining expedited approval.

4. DCR (Daryl Forgione, Sean Casey and Sean Grant) were in town hall to help prepare the DCR beach access permit applications, and shepherd them through the approval process.

5. DCR stated that it would be easier and faster if one contractor did all of the sand placement but it is not a requirement.

6. During the Q&A, Tom Saab and Rick Rigoli of Salisbury Beach Citizens for Change said they are volunteering to manage the sand placement, for anyone interested, by utilizing Henry Richard and Sons Construction along with sourcing the sand from Bentley Warren. This would involve them collecting funds from individual property owners, buying the sand, and contracting with Henry Richard for carting it out on the beach and dropping it at the individual properties. DCR and Adrienne Marchand both said that this approach was fine but emphasized that individual property owners can buy their own sand and contract with whomever they want. Per Rick Rigoli’s calculations, the cost could vary from a minimum of $4,200 to $21,000 for those that need the most sand.

7. The Town encourages as many property owners as possible to participate in sand placement. This will give us a better chance of constructing a more continuous dune resulting in better protection.

8. There are currently no plans for the state to reimburse people that paid for sand on their own.

9. Chuck Takesian asked about sandbags (e.g. TrapBags or Coir Bags). Adrienne said they are generally not recommended because of the experience Plum Island had but that if someone wants to go that route, it would be considered.



The SBBA is continuing to lobby our state and local officials to construct a sacrificial dune as soon as possible, and restore the public access ways to the beach, utilizing state and federal funding.


Subsequent to Thursday's meeting, Tom Saab and Rick Rigoli of Salisbury Beach Citizens for Change, developed a sign-up sheet for property owners interested in pooling their resources and piggybacking on their contract with Henry Richards. For those of you who wish to participate in this arrangement, their sign-up form, with their contact info is attached here: SBCFG Form.


Best wishes to all those affected by these storms.

Sincerely,

Don Egan, Treasurer


SBBA Board of Directors

Donna Champagne
Ray Champagne
Derek Depetrillo
Don Egan
Monique Greilich
Ron Guilmette
John Housianitis
Dianne Masiello
Al Peterson
Maribeth Timony
Betsy Yarvitz

PO Box 5508, Salisbury MA 01952

Emergency Sand Placement Assistance Session 1-25-2024 Emergency Sand Placement Assistance Session 1-25-2024